Dominoes
by Akana Akazen
Summary: Chaos disguised as an organized line of choices. Once the first goes down, the rest shall fall soon after. Revision starts soon.
1. Prolouge and Defeated

**:Disclaimer:**

**Leiko: **Inuyasha belongs to Takahashi-sama, not to us.

**Akana: **But I really really wish we at least owned Sesshy or something!  
**Leiko: **But we don't, so there.

**:End Disclaimer:**

Perhaps that wasn't as funny as my other disclaimers, but that's only because this story isn't funny at all. I've actually had the idea for over a year now, and I've written a few different versions of it, but only now have I decided to actually put it up. This story will be 7 chapters long. It's completely planned out, and I've almost finished with chapter 6. It's written in 1rst person POV (Point of View), but the narrarator changes often. You will be told when it switches from one character to the other, but you'll have to guess who's talking each time. It should be easy, so you probably won't get too confused. I will (or at leas should) be updating weekly.

Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

**Dominoes  
Prolouge**  
This is our story. This is our thoughts, our feelings, our situations. We've gone through hell and back, and this is the tale of our journey. Sometimes we were helped by friends and family; other times... we weren't. There are no promises we can make to you about this story except that it's a tragic one. Some of us will die. Others will live. None will be happy. You should enter our thoughts knowing all of this. You should be prepared. Then again, nothing could prepare you for what lay ahead. We thought we were prepared, but it turned out that we weren't. You can stop reading now, if you wish to. We wouldn't blame you. If we were the ones reading, we wouldn't go on. If you still wish to continue, then, by all means, do so. We're just letting you know. 

This is our story.

**Chapter 1: Defeated!**  
I held my breath. Did I dare hope? Was it true? Could it be possible? If all was as it seemed, then it would mean that our fight was over. But what if I was wrong? What if it was all for naught?

My eyes scanned the horizon quickly, but I tried not to miss a thing. It was nearly impossible to see through all the dust that had been raised by our fierce battle. I couldn't tell if he was there... or not. I unconsciously moved closer to my companions, not wanting to become a target for our enemy if he _was_ still there. I stayed there, clutching my bow tightly in my hand until a gasp from somewhere to the left of me made me turn around.

Miroku was standing there, looking down at his hand with an amazed expression. The rosary beads weren't on, and the wind tunnel wasn't there. That could only mean one thing...

Naraku was dead.

When all cleared, I realized with delight that my suspicions were true. He was! He was gone! We wouldn't ever have to deal with the evil demon again! I looked at Inuyasha, and even he couldn't hide his smile. Looking over, I saw Sango hug Miroku out of delight. Miroku wasn't the pervert for once and instead hugged her back warmly. I looked at Inuyasha again. I wanted to hug him like that, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it. I just smiled at him instead and said, "We did it!"

A large feather suddenly came down from the sky. Atop it was, of course, Kagura. Who else would it be? She leapt off and stood before us. For a moment, I clutched my bow tightly again, not knowing what she was planning. Was she going to attack? Was she going to congratulate us? What?

"Finally," she said simply. "I didn't think you'd ever defeat him."

"That all you got to say?" Inuyasha asked, growling slightly. He was obviously untrusting of the wind demoness who'd tried to take our lives numerous times. She'd been following orders, true, but who was to say that she didn't enjoy trying to kill us?

"Thanks," she said after a minute or so. "Now I'm free." Was it just me, or did she actually smile? It must've been my imagination, for it disappeared instantly. "This doesn't make us friends or anything. If we meet again, I'll probably try to kill you for those jewel shards of yours."

"Then we'll just have to beat you again," Inuyasha replied. There was no hostility in either voice. It seemed more like there was a mutual agreement between the two; I don't try to kill you, you don't try to kill me.

It was Shippou who asked a very important question at that time. "How do we know he's really dead?" he asked timidly, jumping onto my shoulder. "I mean, last time..." He needn't remind us of when Naraku only pretended to be dead to lure out another demon that he'd wanted to absorb and become stronger.

Sango and Miroku had stopped hugging by now. Sango looked at the ground, depressed, thinking of how Naraku used her brother's body to hide himself away in. Miroku was staring with a grim face at that hand where his wind tunnel had previously been, thinking of his shock and surprise when it'd re-appeared after being gone.

"It feels... different this time," Kagura responded. She looked to the sky, letting the wind brush against her cheeks. "It feels like he's gone for good this time, like he's never coming back."

I grinned. I was ecstatic. In my mind, that one little question had been repeating over and over again. Now that I was sure Naraku was gone, I felt... lighter. Happier. Like a huge burden had just been lifted from my shoulders. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to run. I wanted to leap for joy. I controlled myself, though, and was content to just grin.

This time, I was sure I saw Kagura smile. "See ya," she said, leaping back on her feather. It lifted high into the air and started to zoom off. "Let's hope not, though!"

I turned to the others, the sun shining on us all. "Let's go back to the village and tell everyone!" I said, my eyes glittering in delight.

* * *

"This food is delicious, Kagome!"

I beamed. "It's only a bento box I made," I responded modestly. "Nothing big. I just figured that we should have something good to eat for a change!"

"You're a great cook," Shippou continued. "This is the best food ever!"

I blushed, saying a quick thanks before turning to Inuyasha, who was busy chomping away at his food. "So? What do you think?" I asked him eagerly. "Is it good? What's your favorite?"

"It's okay," he said when he paused eating to take a breath. "There's something better, though..." He immediately grabbed my bag from the wall where it was and started digging through it, searching for something. I just stared at him until he pulled out...

"Ramen?" I shouted. "You'd rather have ramen than the delicious meal I worked so hard to make for you? You're so inconsiderate!"

He shrank down quite a bit. He looked so pathetic that I took pity on him and decided not to sit him. It probably wouldn't have helped that stomach wound of his, either. Besides, we'd just defeated Naraku! It was a happy day, not a day to get mad on! Instead, just I smiled, confusing him greatly, and proceeded to cook his food while talking with the others. "So, what's everyone planning to do now?" I asked.

"I should probably check up on Master Mushin," Miroku replied first. "Who knows what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into by now? After that, I will travel around the world and ease the hearts of young women everywh --- " Sango's glare suddenly made the room feel a lot colder. "Er, I mean, I must continue the duties of a humble monk such as myself."

"I see," I said. _Are we all going to split up again? _I wondered vaguely. I didn't want that to happen. "Sango? What about you?"

"The village needs to be tended to," she said. "I should return home and fix it up a little. It's the least I can do for father and the others. I need to look for Kohaku, as well..." She sighed slightly, drawing her legs up. "I wonder if he remembers anything now that Naraku's actually gone? It'll be hard on him whether he remembers or not..."

"Don't worry, Sango," I said, smiling kindly. "He'll make it."

"Thanks, Kagome," she said, smiling back at me. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide as a certain monk's hand wandered where it shouldn't. A loud _slap_ resounded throughout the hut as the monk got his punishment. "Pervert," Sango muttered.

I looked at Inuyasha. "Let me guess," I said. "You and me are still going to look for the shards, right?"

"Duh," he replied simply, his arms crossed. "What else would we do?"

"Shippou, you're going to stay with us, right? Or would you rather stay here, in the village?"

"I'm going with you, Kagome!" Shippou said happily. I smiled at him. He was like a son to me, almost. I guess he sort of thought of me as his mother.

_It's the same as last time,_ I thought. _We **are** going to all split up again. But... I don't want that to happen... I want us to stay together! We will, for a few days, at least..._ I sighed unconsciously. Suddenly, though, I perked up a little, thinking of something that I'd brought along. "Everyone, head outside!" I said excitedly as I grabbed my bag and started digging through, forgetting all about Inuyasha's ramen.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, standing up. "What's up with you?"

"Oh, just go!" I told him. "Please!"

"Feh. Whatever." Inuyasha cooperated and walked outside along with the others, all of them wondering what I was doing. They'd understand it soon enough.

I pulled out what I was looking for a minute later and ran out after them. They all recognized my camera that I'd brought a few times before, and they got into positions near the tree that stood outside Kaede's hut. When they were ready I brought the camera (which I'd described to them as a really fast picture-drawing machine) to my eyes and made sure they were all in the photo before clicking the button. The flash went off. The picture was taken.

That was the last day everything was normal.


	2. He Has a Sister?

**:Disclaimer:**

**Leiko: **We don't own Inuyasha again.  
**Akana: **Sure don't. It's really too bad, though, you know, because then we'd be rich and famous!  
**Leiko: **But we don't and we're not.

**:End Disclaimer:**

Sorry for the delay! Internet problems. Chapter 2. There are some point of view changes, but they are marked. Enjoy, and please leave a review!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2: He has a sister?**

It was getting close to night at the end of that day, so we were all pretty tired. When we went back inside, we'd found out that Inuyasha's ramen had gotten a little burned. He still ate it, though, for some odd reason. Afterwards, we slept. We were all completely worn out, so sleep came rather easily. Inuyasha didn't go to his tree to sleep for once and instead slept against the wall. Miroku was beside him. I gave Sango a sleeping bag, and she slept on the other side of the fire as I did with Kilala curled up with her. Shippou curled up with me in my sleeping bag. It was peaceful. The next morning was, too.

At first.

I was first to wake. Sunlight was streaming through the gap in the wood that served as a window. I opened my eyes slowly, peacefully, and sat up the same way. Everything seemed surreal, like it was all just a dream. Had we really defeated Naraku, or was that just a fantasy? It couldn't have been fantasy. It was too real to be fantasy. My arms were still aching from firing all those arrows, and, as I looked around at everyone, the wounds of battle were still there. Sango's arm and leg were still bandaged up nice and tight. Miroku's chest was the same, and Inuyasha's stomach was, as well(we'd had to put up a fight just so he'd let us give him a bandage!).

Through all that, I still felt light as a feather. The fight was done. We had only to collect the shards now. That would actually be easy, though. Naraku had most of them except for ours, of course, Kouga's, and... _Kohaku's shard..._ I thought solemnly. I shook my head. I didn't want to think about that.

I looked over at Inuyasha, noticing that he was starting to wake up, too. His eyes opened slowly, and I could tell he was savoring the taste of the most pleasant morning in the world, just as I had done when waking up before him. When he caught me looking, he immediately covered his expression with a scowl.

Next to wake up was mischievous Miroku. He looked around, looked at Inuyasha, looked at me, then at Sango, then at me again. "She's still asleep?" he asked, a slight smile on his face. I just nodded slightly and closed my eyes as a yawn escaped. When my eyes re-opened, Miroku was on the floor with a brand new handprint, Sango seething and standing over him.

It was at that very moment in which a new character entered our lives. She burst through the door, breathing heavily. "Where is he?" she demanded, her long black braid reaching to her waist. A few strands fell loose of the braid and were quite wavy. A white lily was in her hair, tucked carefully behind her ear. She wore a white kimono top and baggy red hakama pants. A sword in a deep blue sheath was at her side. When her oddly familiar blue eyes rested on Miroku, she gasped and crouched at his side. "Miroku? Is that you?"

"Hm?" Miroku looked up into the 14 year old girl's face. "Yes, I'm Miroku, but who are you?"

"Yuriko!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Yuriko?" Miroku was very surprised, to stay the least, at first. Then he sat straight up and peered into her face intently. "Are you really Yuriko?" he asked. After a minute of looking into her face, he grinned and hugged her tightly.

She hugged him back. "Oh, Miroku," she said happily. "I thought I'd never see you again! I've been searching everywhere for you!"

Sango was madder than ever now. "Miroku," she said impatiently. "Who is this?"

Miroku looked at her, blinking for a moment as if he didn't recognize her. Then he grinned and got to his feet pulling Yuriko up with him. "Yuriko, this is everyone," he said, "and everyone, this is my little sister, Yuriko!"

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

He had a sister. Who would've thought? It took us all by surprise. Apparently, when they were children, Yuriko had been taken away to live and work at a castle. She was only four at the time, and Miroku was seven. She'd lived at the castle for eight years. Then the lord came down with a terrible sickness, and died not too long after. There was no heir to the throne, so the servants were all released. Yuriko had immediately started searching for her brother, but before too long she realized that she stood no chance against the many demons that roamed the lands. Luckily for her, a kind swordsman took her in and taught her the trade. She caught on very quickly and set out to search for Miroku after only a year and a half. She'd listened to all the rumors and they eventually led her to Kaede's village and back to her brother.

"That's a truly amazing story, Yuriko," Miroku said, smiling at his sister. They were sitting against the wall on Kaede's hut, side by side. Kagome was busy preparing breakfast while listening, and Inuyasha was leaning against the wall where the door was with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. I was sitting against the wall opposite Miroku and Yuriko with Kirara in my arms.

She beamed. "Thanks, brother," she said. "What about you? What have you been up to since I've been gone? Was it you who defeated Naraku?" She looked at her right hand. "My wind tunnel's gone, so I assume that's what happened..."

"Yes, actually, it was," Miroku replied. "I only helped defeat him, though. Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Kirara are the ones who truly brought him down."

"Nonsense!" I stepped in, my face getting a little hot. "If it wasn't for your quick thinking, we probably never would've beaten him! And you even saved my life..."

Was it just me, or had the room suddenly gotten a lot colder when I spoke? I looked at Yuriko and caught her giving me an evil glare. Did she hate me? But why would she? What had I done? I decided I was just being paranoid and imagining things, since she was smiling at me the next moment. She turned back to Miroku.

"So, my big brother's a hero now, huh?" she asked. "I have a question... How exactly did you come to meet these people? I mean, it's not exactly a normal group to travel in, you know."

"Right you are," he said. "You see..."

He went on to explain about how he'd met Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou. He talked about the rest of his journeys also, and my heart skipped a beat when he glanced at me as he was talking about how he met me. The fluttering feeling I was getting in my stomach ceased, however, when he got onto the subject of Kohaku. I sighed slightly, pulling my legs up and hugging them tightly. I layed my head on my knees and stared at the fire, watching the flames lick the air and listening to the wood crackle. _Kohaku..._

"Sango, what's the matter?" Miroku asked kindly.

I looked up, startled. "What? Oh, um..." I didn't know what to say. I was touched that he was concerned about me, but I didn't want him to know what I was thinking of. He'd probably just say I was worrying too much. So we sat there, just looking at each other for a few minutes. I finally opened my mouth to speak, and --

"So, what happened next?" Yuriko asked eagerly, cutting me off before I had a chance to say anything.

Miroku turned back to her and continued with his story happily. It seemed to me like Yuriko was trying to take Miroku away from me. But why would she want to do something like that? Perhaps it was all just coincidence. I was again blamed it all on paranoia and left it at that.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

Just who did that Sango girl think she was? I saw the way my brother looked at her. He really loved her. I knew that she loved him, too. If I let those two alone, Miroku would stay with her and wouldn't come home with me, his own sister! I'd already been warning the girl to back off, but she couldn't take a hint. I would have to get drastic.

Once Miroku had wrapped up his tale, I turned to Sango with a friendly smile. "How long, exactly, have you been traveling with my brother?" I asked politely.

She blinked. "About 10 months, I guess," she replied, obviously somewhat suspicious. That was good. Maybe she'd pay more attention, then.

"I see," I said slowly. I pretended it to be sort of an afterthought. "Not remotely close to four years..."

Her eyes hardened ever so slightly at that point. Finally, she'd realized that it wasn't her imagination or paranoia or anything! It was about time! "No, I don't guess," she said just as slowly as I had. Now I could warn her to stay away, and she'd be paying attention this time.

"But I haven't seen him in over 10 years," I went on to say. "Whereas you've seen him everyday for all that time." First the pity approach. Maybe if she felt sorry for me, she'd _back off_. I'd do anything it took, though. If I had to, I'd even go so far as to actually threatening her -- without the code speak, of course. No matter what, my brother would come home with me and forget about that girl.

No matter what, I wouldn't lose my only brother.


	3. The First Domino

** :Disclaimer:**

**Akana: **HAPPY LATE 4TH OF JULY! Oh, and we don't own Inuyasha.  
** Leiko: **Yeah. I think they understand that already.

**:End Disclaimer:**

Thank you, somenoewithoutaname, for being my ONLY reviewer! 'glomps' No, Yuriko's still gonna pretty much hate Sango, and yeah, Naraku's really and truly dead. 'cheers' Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter in which we actually start getting into a plot!

**Chapter 3: The First Domino**

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

"Freedom!" I said aloud, laughing to myself about what I'd gained. The only price I'd had to pay for it was a few scratches that'd healed right away. I didn't go after Naraku myself, of course, until I was sure that he was too distracted to destroy my heart and kill me. Inuyasha and the others had actually been pretty helpful, too. They were definitely stronger than I gave them credit for.

I was sitting on a hill overlooking a large lake. The hill was grassy and felt good under my back as I lay there, looking up at the clouds. "I can do anything now," I said. "Anything... but what?" When I thought about it, I was free, yes, but I was also bored out of my mind! Of course, boredom was by far better than having to serve some pompous half breed.

"You're bored?" a female voice purred from behind a tree. "You don't know what to do? You poor thing... Freedom is a heavy burden."

I jumped to my feet. "Show yourself!" I commanded, holding my fan in a position ready to attack. "Come from behind that tree!"

"As you wish." A slender cat demon who looked about 20 in human years came from behind the tree and stood facing me. "You haven't the slightest clue what to do now. You've dreamed and dreamed that this day would come, but now that it has, you can't think of anything to do to pass the time."

"What do you know about it?" I asked, keeping my eyes on her to make sure she didn't pull any tricks. She had rich brown hair that fell to her shoulders and pointed ears. What marked her as a cat were the eyes, a piercing yellow color and in the shape of a normal cat's eye. She wore priestess clothes, but it was obvious that she was no priestess. An unsheathed katana was at her side.

"I have an offer for you," the demon purred. "You must, however, come to see my sisters before I can even tell what the offer is."

"And why should I?" I asked suspiciously.

She only laughed. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly my world went dark.

* * *

When I could finally see again, I was somewhere completely different. I looked at my surroundings and saw that I was in a large cave, so large that I couldn't see the ceiling. The cave was deep underground and the entrance miles away, so the only light came from torches on the walls. At the far wall were about 5 carved steps, and on the small platform they led up to were three thrones. The middle throne was largest, and the cat demon I'd talked to moved to sit in it. On her right and left were two other demons, both in their own thrones. They weren't cats, like I'd thought, though. One was a dog demon, and the other a fox. It was obvious they weren't really sisters, they only called themselves that.

The dog demon was on the left and seemed quite bored. She had on similar clothes as the cat demon, only her hakama pants were black instead of a priestess's red. She had red eyes and pitch black hair. The only indication that she was a demon were her pointed ears, and the only indication that she was a dog was her smell.

The fox demon sat on the right and had an excited look. Her clothes were like the others' clothes, only her pants were blindingly white. Her hair was orange with a definite reddish tint, and her eyes were green. She also had pointed ears as well as a bushy red fox tail that was tipped with white.

The cat demon was the one to speak. "These are my sisters," she explained. "Sayoko to my left," she motioned towards the dog demon, "and Asaka to my right," she motioned towards the fox demon. "I am Hatsuki. We have an offer for you."

The fox, Asaka, took it from there. "You are Kagura!" she said excitedly. "We've heard all about you! You were an incarnation of that lowly demon Naraku who forced you to do as he wished. You're free now, though! Also -- "

The dog, Sayoko, took over. "What she's trying to ask is," she said in an emotionless tone, "will you help us to cause chaos for your old enemies, the half breed Inuyasha and his little band of misfits?"

I crossed my arms. "What kind of chaos?" I asked. They **had **been my enemies, true enough, but only because they were Naraku's enemies. Besides, they were the ones who'd defeated Naraku and ultimately set me free. Why should I help someone who wanted to hurt the ones who helped me?

"A little of this, a little of that," Hatsuki replied. "Just making their lives miserable, basically. Since you've fought them, we figured you'd have some interesting information to share with us to make it all go a little smoother. We'd be delighted if you'd help us."

"What's in it for me?" If I was going to betray someone, I wanted something in return, at least. "And what if I refuse?"

The hyper fox burst into giggles. Hatsuki grinned, and even the gloomy dog twitched the corners of her mouth up a little. "You seem to think that you have a choice," Hatsuki said calmly, her eyes flashing in the firelight. "Then again, I suppose you do. If you were to help us, you'd have to give up part of your freedom, true enough. That's better than being dead, though, wouldn't you say, Kagura?"

I clutched my fan. There was no way I was going to be slave to anyone ever again! "Dance of blades!" I cried out, sweeping my fan sideways. Wind blades rushed towards the three, but never made it far enough. Hatsuki simply swept her hand across the air in front of her, and my attack was dispelled. I gasped.

"Then you refuse?" she asked. She sighed a bit and stood up. "That's too bad. I'd really hoped that you'd help us. Alas..." Her eyes glowed black as she chanted some kind of spell. I saw grey energy start to crackle in front of her. Large waves of the energy suddenly appeared and started heading towards me. Through the crackling, I heard the demon's cruel laughter. "We are the demon trio!" Hatsuki called out. "Nobody refuses us!"

I remember staring at the energy coming towards me as I was unable to move. I remember great pain shooting through my entire body. I remember shouting something out. I remember darkness.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

"I'd rather die free than live a slave!" Kagura shouted. A moment later, her shouting was replaced with screaming. The energy completely engulfed the entire cavern except where we sat. Through it all, I was laughing. I laughed even as her body disappeared, leaving nothing behind to tell the tale of the wind demoness who finally escaped the pathetic Naraku.

"That was fun!" Asaka giggled out hyperly. "Let's go cause more chaos now! It's so incredibly fun! Don't you think, Sayoko?"

"We should take our time," she replied in a monotone. "Careful planning will result in more chaos than you could imagine."

"That _was_ fun," I agreed with Asaka, "but Sayoko is right about the planning. I've already found the girl and secretly put her on the right path. She's probably already with her brother, the monk, right now. This will cause problems for poor Sango as well as for Miroku." I was seated again with my arms resting on the chair arms. "Yuriko is possessive of her big brother. Sango will feel like her love is being taken away from her, and Miroku will find that he has to choose between his dear sister and his only true love. How will he ever decide?" I smirked. "When the first goes down, the rest will follow. Their lives will become miserable. It is absolutely perfect."

"You always come up with the best plans!" Asaka said. "Sister, you're a genius!" Sayoko simply nodded her agreement, not saying a word.

"It runs in the family," I drawled out, soaking up the spotlight as much as possible. "This is my destiny, and I'm damn good at it." _Naraku does deserve some credit, however, _I thought. _After all, if it weren't for him, most of this plan wouldn't be able to work. The group would still be seperated. Of course, if he'd known about us, he would've tried to defeat us, too. What a fool he was. But none of that matters now. All that matters is how the group faces the challenges set upon them._ I laughed aloud. "This should be quite fun. Then again... Why let the monk have the first choice? Why not let the half breed?"

Asaka squealed. "Perfect! He does need the first choice since he's the leader of the pathetic little group!"

"He's also the most disgusting," Sayoko put in, her voice and expression emotionless. "A half breed like him should die."

"That's why we're making him miserable," I replied, "as well as the filthy humans who accompany him. And who knows? He might very well die. It all depends on his choice." I smirked again. "This is all too easy. Let us see where they are right now." A crystal ball materialized in front of me. Inside the crystal ball was an image of the disgusting Inuyasha group. The ones known as Inuyasha and Kagome were bickering over something trivial. It ended with the girl telling him to sit. Once that was through, Kagome climbed onto Kirara with Sango and Shippou, and they were off.


	4. Shards and Priestesses

**:Disclaimer:**

**Akana: **Okay, people have been wanting to know why I'm not quite as hyper as in our other stories. The answer would be --  
**Leiko: **No one's even been wanting to know that. In fact, only one person even reads this story.  
**Akana: **Oh... Well, thanks so much, someonewithoutaname! And if we ever own Inuyasha (which we don't), we'll totally give you some money or let you own a character or something!  
**Leiko:** And just so you know, that is her being not-hyper.

**:End Disclaimer:**

Welcome to another chapter of Dominoes! someonewithoutaname: These three demons are pretty much like Naraku, but they get more done and they aren't after the jewel, they're only after entertainment. Everything in this story that goes wrong was pretty much caused and predicted by them, and they're out to cause SERIOUS trouble. Hope that answers your questions!

**NOTE (important): **I redid part of this chapter. The second section, to be exact (after the second POV change, with the first POV change being right below). It was in Kouga's point of view, but I decided to change that since he's not really one of the main characters of this story, he shouldn't have a section all to himself. So there. I just sort of felt that the part didn't really fit in.

**Chapter 4: Shards and Priestesses**

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

_They didn't have to run off without me like that!_ I thought as I lifted my face from the dirt. I quickly got to my feet and growled. Kagome was going to get Kouga's jewel shards, and I wanted to be there to make sure he didn't lay a finger on her. If he tried to flirt with her again like always, I was prepared to teach him a lesson with my Tetsusaiga. 

I started to run off after them, but then something caught my eye. Far off in the trees, I saw what looked very much like one of Kikyou's soul collectors._ What's she doing here?_ I wondered briefly. I took a few steps in the direction she was in, but then stopped. _What about Kagome? ... She'll be fine. The wolf will protect her from demons, and the others will protect her from the wolf._ I ran off through the trees in search of Kikyou.

When I came to her, it looked as though she were bidding her soul collectors good bye. They flew off without her when I entered the clearing she was in, and she turned and smiled at me. "Naraku is finally gone," she said, taking a few steps towards me. "Thank you, Inuyasha..."

"Kikyou..." I whispered. I walked towards her and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. "I've been wanting to hold you like this for a long time now..."

"Now we can finally be together in Hell," she said, hugging me back. She must've felt me stiffen a little, for then she asked, "Is something the matter? You... still want to come with me, right?"

I looked at her. My ears twitched. "O-Of... course..."

I did. I wanted to go with her to Hell. After all, I owed her, and I loved her. She was the first person who looked at me and didn't see only a half breed. She'd even died following me. It was only fair that I be with her. She was my first true love. We would've lived together happily had it not been for Naraku. Now that he was dead, there was nothing standing in the way of our being together for the rest of time.

But... If that was so true, then why did I feel so horrible all of a sudden? It was like I was forgetting something, but what? Something was keeping me back, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of what it could be. I didn't have anything left to do, did I? Naraku was dead, Kagome could collect the rest of the shards ---

Then it struck me. It wasn't a "what" so much as a "who". Kagome... I still needed to protect her. I'd sworn to myself that I always would. And there was more. She accepted me for who I really was. She never tried to make me a human. She even... loved me. She told me that she'd always be by my side, no matter what happened.

Kikyou probably sensed my hesitation. She looked at me curiously. "What's on your mind?"

I was silent for a few minutes. I stared at the ground, unsure really of who I wanted to go with. On the one hand, I had Kikyou, my former love. On the other hand, there was Kagome, my new love. I wanted to stay with Kikyou in Hell, but I wanted to stay alive for Kagome. I wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, but I wanted things to stay the way they were. I wished I could've had more time to think about it, but I knew that Kikyou needed an answer. I looked at her and wanted to say "Yes, I'll go!", but I wanted to say "Sorry, I can't..." Finally, I made up my mind. I looked her in the eye.

"I..." I took a deep breath.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

He looked around suspiciously. "Where's the mutt?" Kouga growled out, clutching my hands in his own. "Shouldn't he be trying to stop me or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's probably still mad about me sitting him before we came here," I muttered. Inuyasha could be so immature sometimes. "Well, it doesn't matter right now. We cam here to ask a little favor, Kouga." I looked at him with hope. He grinned, and I knew that he was expecting me to ask him to take me away from Inuyasha or something like that. I thought of the notion for a split second -- the look on Inuyasha's face would be priceless! But no, I was just here for one thing. "Well, now that Naraku's dead, we're kind of going around collecting the remaining jewel shards, and we need yours."

"Oh," he said with disappointment in his voice. "Well..." He hesitated, but I looked at him with big, brown, pleading eyes that he couldn't resist. "Fine. I don't need them to kill the mutt, anyway." He let go of my hands and took out the shards, handing them to me.

I beamed. "Thank you, Kouga!" I said, putting the shards away in my bottle with the rest. As soon as I was done, he grabbed my hands again. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes just in time.

"Anything for you," he told me. Suddenly, a scowl appeared on his face, quickly followed by the sound of someone's fist on a hollow skull. Kouga whirled around the face Inuyasha, glaring at him. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"Oh yeah? Says who?" Inuyasha snarled, leaping back and getting into a fighting stance. "Today's the day you die, stupid wolf!" He drew Tetsusaiga, a cocky smirk on his face. "You don't have the shards anymore to help you! You're just some normal, pathetic wolf now!"

_And you're still the same jerk who gets jealous so easily, _I thought, rubbing my temples.

Kouga growled, raising his fist. "I don't need any shards to beat _you_!" he countered. He ran at Inuyasha and tried to kick him. Kouga seemed a lot slower and less powerful than usual, and so I was surprised when he managed to kick Inuyasha. "Same old dumb dog!" Kouga shouted as he quickly jumped back, letting Inuyasha fall.

I sighed again when Inuyasha got back to his feet, sword raised and ready to strike. "Sit boy," I muttered. I would've loved to have such a word for Kouga, but no luck. Unless, of course, Kaede had some more of those prayer beads...

Kouga laughed at him as he fell face-first into the dirt. He then turned his attention back to me, unfortunately, taking my hands yet again in his. "I'll defeat the mutt for you someday," he promised me. "Just you wait until then! Always remember that you're my woman!" He ran off, leaving me to shake my head at how stubborn and persistant he was.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

I growled after the wolf left, then sat up and looked at Kagome. _Should I tell her what happened...?_ Looking at her, _especially_ right now, I was reminded of Kikyou. "Kagome..." 

She had turned and was starting to walk off, but she stopped at my words. The others stopped too, but a look from me told them that they should go on. Sango was walking with Kirara in her arms. Yuriko was walking in between her and Miroku, and Shippou was on Yuriko's shoulder. Kagome knelt beside me. "What?" she asked, curiousity showing plainly on her face.

"I..." I stopped. _Should I tell her?_ my mind asked again.

* * *

_Flashback_

* * *

_"I..." I took a deep breath. I looked back towards the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you..." She pulled away, but I didn't look up to see her expression. "I just... I can't die, not yet... I'm sorry, really, I am, but I swore to protect someone. If I leave now, I can't be sure that she'll be safe. I have to be with her and keep her from harm. I know it's asking a lot from you, but... please try to understand." I looked at her again, my ears drooping a little._

_She smiled. It was a sad, lonely, forlorn smile. In her smile I saw that she'd predicted this, but that it was too much to bear. "I do understand," she said. The smile never faded. "You're speaking about my reincarnation, Kagome, I know. You don't want anything to happen to her because you love her, as you once loved me." My eyes widened. Did I really... Did I really love Kagome? Was that possible? "I understand also that our relationship faded to almost nothing. You felt obliged to me, since I gave my life for you. By defeating Naraku, you've made it so my soul can be laid to rest. That is good enough to repay the debt that you never really owed in the first place." She took a deep breath. "Good bye, Inuyasha."_

_I was silent. What could one say to that? I just watched as a bright light came from the ground where Kikyou was standing. I stepped back a bit, feeling depressed to see her go. She stared at me, eyes shining with tears that would never fall, then the light engulfed her. The light was so intense that I had to shield my eyes with my sleeve. When it was over, I looked at the place where Kikyou last stood and saw nothing. "Good bye, Kikyou."_

* * *

_End Flashback_

* * *

"What?" Kagome asked again, tilting her head to the side a little. 

"... Nothing," I answered. She didn't need to know, really, did she? Besides, though I somehow knew that I didn't quite love Kikyou as much anymore, I still thought of her as a close friend, and the memory of her leaving like that still hurt. I still felt guilty for my choice. No, Kagome didn't need to know about it.

Kagome looked at me oddly. "If you're sure," she said after a few minutes. She shrugged her shoulders and followed the path that the others had taken. I stood up and followed as well, the wind whispering through the leaves of trees.


	5. Brother, Sister

**:Disclaimer:**

**Akana: **Um, yeah, this is totally the disclaimer thingy! Whee!  
**Leiko: **Ugh, she's being hyper. >.  
**Akana: **Hey! I just realized that we never told them why I wasn't being as hyper in the other chapters! You totally cut me off before I could --  
**Leiko: **In other news, we don't own Inuyasha.  
**Akana:** That's right! We suuuuuuuure don't!**  
**

**:End Disclaimer: **

Sorry if the characters seem a bit OOC. I was basing Kohaku more on what he was like in the 2nd movie than in the series, and I probably made a lot of mistakes with Sango's reaction. Well, thanks once again, someonewithoutaname! Answers: You think THAT chapter was sad? Wait 'till you read this chapter and the ones after... Kikyou is gone, gone, gone, gone. Forever. And ever. Poor Kikyou. Muwahahaha, everything about the demon trio shall be explained in chapter 7, which is going to be the final chapter in this kind of short story. Well, enjoy this next chapter!

**Chapter 5: Brother, Sister**

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

I glared at her. She glared at me. You could almost feel the static in the air as we exchanged glares behind Miroku's back. We both dropped further behind so we could "talk" without anyone hearing us. Inuyasha and Kagome were leading us around, as always, on the lookout for the remaining jewel shard, so we knew they wouldn't hear us. It had been about a week since Yuriko joined up with us, and I was about ready to majorly kick her ass. She was being so annoying and overprotective! 

"You'd better back off!" she whispered through clenched teeth. "Miroku is my brother, and he's coming home with me once you guys find the last shard!"

"Listen," I hissed back, "I know he's your brother, but he promised to live with me! Why can't we all just live together or something? Would that be so bad?"

"Yes, it would!"

"Why? Do you think I'm trying to steal him away from you or something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!"

"Then you're just a selfish, conceited little -- "

"Takes one to know one!"

I glared at her. She glared at me. We held a small glaring contest until, out of the corners of our eyes, we saw Miroku start to turn around and see how we were doing. We immediately smiled at him innocently, pretending that we weren't just arguing with each other about him. He gave us a suspicious look, then turned back to the path ahead. We continued our glaring contest.

"I sense it! The last jewel shard!" Kagome suddenly burst out. I whipped my head around, forgetting all about Yuriko for the moment. My thoughts lingered on one person. We needed only his shard, then the jewel would be complete... My worst nightmare had finally come. What would I do? How could I kill my own brother?

Kirara jumped from her resting place in my arms and darted into the woods. I ran after her, and I was aware of the others following us. My heart pounded as I ran. _Kohaku..._ I thought. _You're free from Naraku now, but you still have the jewel shard... We need it for the jewel to be completed, and yet... Must we take it? Can't the jewel just remain unfinished?_ I knew I was being selfish with these thoughts, but I really didn't care at the moment. I wanted to be with my little brother.

When we came upon him, he turned and looked at us, me in particular. For a moment, I got my hopes up. Would he finally be able to remember? "Miss Sango," he said, apparently surprised. My hopes tumbled back down, and I felt my heart sink low. "What are you doing here...?"

"Wecame to find you," I answered, using a smile to hide my pain. "You still don't remember anything about me, do you?" He shook his head. Looking at him, he seemed so innocent. He didn't remember anything, true, but... wouldn't it be better that way? If he never remembered what he did to Father and the others, he could always be innocent, and he'd never be haunted by such horrible memories.

I couldn't take his shard, though. I looked at the others appologetically, but they all seemed to understand. I don't think they wanted me to take his shard, either, when they knew how hurt I'd feel afterwards. "Let's get back to the village," Kagome suggested. She didn't say it, but I could tell she meant: "_And discuss what to do from there._"

I smiled my gratitude. "Come on, Kohaku," I said warmly, looking back at him. He nodded slightly and followed me hesitantly back to the others.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, I shook Kohaku awake. He looked up at me sleepily. I smiled at him and whispered "C'mon. Let's go." I pulled him away from the clearing we were in (we hadn't made it to the village yet) and into the woods. The almost-full moon shed its light on us through the leaves as I turned and looked at him. His face showed that he was very confused about why I brought him there. I kept smiling at him, trying to keep my real emotions hidden. I sat down and pulled him down with me into a hug. "Kohaku..." My fingers lightly brushed against the shard imbedded in his back. 

"Miss Sango?" Kohaku said, his voice showing his sleepiness. I could feel that he was blushing a little. He didn't remember that we were brother and sister... He didn't remember anything... He was only a boy, a stranger, I tried convincing myself. "What are you doing?"

I remained silent. I tried to keep smiling, but my smile faltered. My tears shone silver in the moonlight. "I'm sorry, Kohaku," I told him in a whisper. "So... very sorry..." I took a deep breath, ready to take the shard from his back.

"Sister," Kohaku said in a barely audible whisper.

I stopped. My hand was there. All I had to do was take out the shard, and it would all be over. I hesitated, then put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him away slightly so I could look him in the face. "What did you...?"

"You're... You're my sister, aren't you?" he asked. "These memories... They're all coming back suddenly..." Suddenly, he became silent. I stared at him anxiously, dreading what would come next. "Sister, I... I killed father and the others..." He dropped his gaze to the ground. "And I hurt you as well... I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't even be alive right now... It would be too much to ask for forgiveness after everything I've done..."

_Why?_ my mind screamed. _Why? Why right now? Why did it have to be right now? _"You're wrong," I choked out, my tears flowing in full force now. "I do forgive you, Kohaku. You're my brother. How could I not?" I pulled him into another hug. More than ever, now, I didn't want to do it. I wanted to let him live. He was my brother. He finally had his memories back. He didn't deserve to die. But... the others needed the shard for the jewel to be completed... Did it really need to be completed? Why couldn't the Shikon jewel just remain in two pieces? No.. _After everything they've done for me, it would be selfish... They need the full jewel... And, if Kohaku keeps the shard, demons will constantly come after him..._ I closed my eyes tightly. "Kohaku, I'm sorry..."

He went limp in my arms. I dropped the jewel shard to the ground and held onto him tightly, never wanting to let go. _I'm sorry..._

I'd done it. I'd murdered my own brother.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly. Something didn't feel quite right. Something was missing. My mind was still groggy as my eyes wandered over the campsite, trying to figure out what was different. Inuyasha was still sitting down with his arms crossed, leaning against the base of a tree. His eyes were closed and it was obvious he was sleeping. Kagome was still laying in her sleeping bag near the fire with Shippou curled up next to her. Yuriko was sleeping next to me in a sleeping bag that Kagome had lent her. I had been sleeping leaning against a tree as Inuyasha was. Kirara was tugging at my sleeve and mewing repeatedly. That was what had woken me up. I glanced down at her, then at the two empty sleeping bags near the fire, then made the connection. 

I woke Inuyasha first. He was fastest; he had the best chance of getting to her in time. "Sango's taken Kohaku into the woods," I told him when his eyes opened. He immediately nodded and stood up, commanding me to wake the others before speeding off. He needed no explanation; he knew as well as any what Sango was likely planning on doing.

I crossed over to Kagome and woke her and Shippou. I told them what'd happened, and they hopped on Kirara. They didn't leave yet; they were waiting for Yuriko and me. I finally came to my sister and woke her up. She looked at me with tired eyes. "What is it, Miroku?" she asked, yawning a bit.

"Sango's taken Kohaku into the woods," I explained quickly. "We think she's going to try taking out his shard, and we need to stop her before that happens!"

She gave me a slightly odd look -- as though she were... jealous? -- but it was replaced a moment later with genuine concern. She quickly climbed on Kirara, and I got on behind her. Kirara took us speedily in the direction Inuyasha had gone. I hardly even noticed the scenery as we went. I was too concerned for Sango. If she killed her brother, she would face an eternal sadness. It would be a great tragedy for her, and I didn't want her to go through that.

When we got there, it was too late. She was holding Kohaku's limp body and sobbing. Inuyasha was just standing there, staring as though he couldn't believe it. He hadn't gotten there in time... Kagome got off Kirara and walked over to Sango. She knelt down beside her and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Sango..." She didn't know what to say, and nor did I or any of us.

Sango lifted her eyes to us. "I had to," she whispered. She slowly laid Kohaku's body on the ground, then stood up just as slowly. She wiped away her tears or, at least, tried to. She was fighting hard to keep from crying again. "T-The shard is... right beside him..." She turned away. "I need to be alone for a while..." She stumbled off into the woods.

We all stood there, silent for some time. We didn't know what to say or do. Finally, it was Kagome, Sango's best friend, who came up with the idea. "Let's complete the jewel," she said evenly, "and then use it to bring back Kohaku." She looked at Inuyasha, probably half-expecting him to protest, but he just nodded. We all knew it was the best thing to do. Kagome took the last shard from the ground where it was and then took the almost completed jewel. She brought the two together. A blinding light flashed, illuminating the entire clearing. When it faded, the jewel was whole and complete. She looked around once more at us all, then closed her eyes and made the wish.

The blinding white light came again. This time, though, when it faded, the jewel was nowhere to be seen. The wish had been pure enough for the jewel to be completely purified. Kohaku opened his eyes slowly, as if waking up from a long and deep sleep. He sat up and looked around with a confused look. "Where's... Where's my sister?" he asked.

Kagome blinked in surprise, most likely wondering how he remembered, then smiled at him. "C'mon, let's go see her," she said kindly. She looked at the rest of us and grinned. It had worked. Sango would be happy, and that thought lifted my spirits.

Yuriko tugged at my sleeve at that moment. I looked at her, and she gave a small smile. "I... need to talk to you about something," she said hesitantly. She pulled me into the woods away from the others' prying eyes before looking at me once more. "It's about Sango..." I looked at her with confusion, but she just stared at the ground. "You see, the thing is..." She shifted a bit, then looked back up at me. "I really want you to come home with me and forget about her... I know you love her, but I feel that I'm losing my brother whenever she's around. I know it's probably selfish of me, but... I just don't want to lose you."

I stiffened a little. "Is that what this is all about?" I asked. "Is that why you and Sango have been in a secret war?" She looked at the ground again, a bit ashamed, but I lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I can't forget about Sango," I told her evenly, "but I also can't forget my little sister. I want Sango to live with me, but I want you there, too. I'll love Sango, but there's room in my heart for you, you know." I smiled and moved my hand from her chin to her shoulder. "Would it be so bad if we all lived together? I don't think I can choose between her and you."

She looked at me long and hard. The tears were shining in her eyes as she attempted a smile. "I want to," she whispered, "but you and I both know that I can't. You and Sango would have a family, and I wouldn't belong. I'd fight with Sango about everything. I'm sorry, but it just can't happen." She reached up and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I'll check up on you from time to time, so you'd better not get into any trouble. I won't forgive you if you do, so remember that."

"But -- "

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted. "I know you can't choose between your little sister and the love of your life, so now you don't have to."

"Yuriko..." Not knowing what else I could do, I wrapped her into a warm hug. _Thank you for this,_ I told her silently. _Thank you..._

No one could've guessed what happened next.


	6. Goodbye For Now

**:Disclaimer:**

**Akana: **Why're we writing something so horribly and terribly sad? 'crying'  
**Leiko: **Because we're evil. Deal.  
**Akana: **But... But... No one gets a happy ending! It's, like, not fair! At all! To anyone! Why're we soooooo incredibly terribly horribly evil?  
**Leiko:** Because we can be. Now, are you going to do the disclaimer, or shall I?  
**Akana: **I'm too depressed! 'sniffle'  
**Leiko: **'sighs' Fine. We don't own Inuyasha, or else everyone would kill us for making it so tragic.

**:End Disclaimer:**

It's a little bit later than expected, sorry! I've sorta been busy-ish. I had to go to school registration yesterday (Tuesday), and I've been working on my site as much as possible.Anyway, as this story draws to a close, the chapters get sadder and sadder. After this, there's only one chapter left. In chapter 7, the demon trio will make their appearance once again and all will be explained. But, for now, here's chapter 6. Enjoy!**  
**

**Chapter 6: Goodbye... For Now**

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

"SHIT!"

The priestess, the fox demon, and I all looked over to where the half demon was staring into the woods with horror etched all over his face. We had stayed there, waiting for the monk and his sister before going off to find my sister. The priestess, Kagome, had explained to me a few things about each member of the group, including how Miroku and Sango were in love. I suddenly felt strangely protective of my big sister, but I realized that if she was really in love, there was no use in trying to talk her out of it. I just accepted it.

"What, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

He just took off, cursing, not giving a word of explanation. Kirara was also alert by now, growling softly in... worry? "Kirara?" I asked when she transformed into her large state. I patted her head soothingly, but a feeling of dread had come over me.

Shippou, the fox demon who was on Kagome's shoulder, suddenly whimpered. "I-It's Sango," he choked out. I turned my head sharply to look at him and saw tears in his eyes. "She's... losing a lot of blood..."

Kagome gasped. "What?"

The monk, Miroku, and his sister, Yuriko, came from the woods at this point. They took one look at our faces and knew something was up. Shippou relayed the message to them, and Miroku ran through the woods on the same path Inuyasha had taken without a backwards glance. The rest of us piled on Kirara, who skimmed the ground as fast as possible.

_A demon must've gotten her, _I thought. _Sh-She'll be okay though. We'll get to her in time, and Kagome can use the things from her time period to heal my sister. Things will be alright. _Though my mind was reassured, my heart knew the truth. I started trembling.

When we reached the clearing, Kagome was first to get off. She jumped off Kirara landed on the ground with such force that I thought her ankle must've broken, but she nonetheless rushed over to where the others were. I was next off, running immediately to crouch beside my sister's motionless body. Yuriko was next; I felt her presence as she knelt beside me.

Miroku knelt on the ground beside Sango and across from me. His head was bowed so that the shadow of his bangs covered his eyes. Inuyasha was standing a bit off to the side. Kagome, after taking one long, horrified look at Sango, rushed to him and buried her face in his robes and stood there, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her awkwardly in comfort. Shippou had leapt from his perch on Kagome's shoulder and was now sitting on the ground near Sango's head, wailing for all he was worth. Yuriko's eyes were closed, and I could see that she was struggling to keep back her tears. Kirara was back to her smaller form and nestled against Sango's limp hand, mewing pathetically.

_Sister..._ I looked at her pale face. I looked at her eyes, closed for an eternal sleep. I looked at the gaping hole where her heart was. I looked at the sword laying beside her, _her own sword,_ stained with her blood. I looked at her, and I knew what had happened. I knew, and I couldn't control the tears.

"Th-This is my fault," I whispered, rubbing my arm across my face in an effort to dry my eyes and cheeks. I only cried harder. "It was because of me... Because she wanted to be with me, even if it meant death for her..."

"It was no one's fault," Miroku said. His voice was steady and calm, yet there was an almost inaudible waver to it. "Sango wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She would want you and Kirara to return to the village and restore it to it's former glory. She would want to be buried there, on her home land. We should take her there."

"Why'd she have to go!" Shippou wailed, his tears sprinkling the dirt around where he was sitting. "It's not fair, it's not fair!"

And he was right; it wasn't. It wasn't fair that I had to carry on while my sister lay in a grave. It wasn't fair that I had to rebuild the village without her beside me, helping me. It wasn't fair that I would never get to see her smile or her laugh again when I did something foolish. It wasn't fair that I could live and laugh and cry while she couldn't. It wasn't fair at all, but that's how it had to be.

She would've wanted it like that.

* * *

We arrived in the village hardly a day later. We traveled quickly, but it helped that we were close. I looked upon it with a mixture of feelings. I felt all the pain I'd once suffered here, but also the joy. I looked at the graves of my comrades and remembered how I'd slain father and the others, but I also remembered how everyone in the village had been kind to me though I was only a child. I thought of how I'd have to dig a grave for my sister, but I also thought of how great the village would be once restored.

Kirara touched down gently near an old, dilapidated hut. Yuriko and I slid off. Miroku and Inuyasha came a minute later, Kagome and Shippou on Inuyasha's back. Everyone was solemn; the sorrow would not soon lift.

To this day I remember the funeral. She was laid in her grave, looking as peaceful as if she were merely sleeping and was going to wake up soon. Incense was burned, and prayers were said. The most beautiful bouquet of wild lilies was laid in the grave with her, and another bouquet equally beautiful was place at the head of the filled in grave. _Say "Hi" to father and everyone else for me,_ I thought. After it was over, the others wandered off through the village, probably to deal with their sorrow in privacy. Only Kirara, Miroku, and I remained by her grave.

Everyone lingered in the village for a few days after. I was glad for the company. I didn't want to be alone after such a tragedy. It would've been too much to bear.

"What now?" Kagome asked softly one night, a week after the funeral. We were all gathered in the hut that had once belonged to my family. Starlight filtered in through a hole in the ceiling. We were all gathered around a fire in the middle, yet coldness still seeped into our bones.

No one immediately offered an answer. We were all silent. The only sound came from the fire and from Shippou, still nibbling on the bread from dinner. I'd hardly eaten; I found that I had no appetite.

"We should get going," Miroku said. His voice sounded as numb as I felt. I didn't know if I'd sound that way or not, for I found nothing to talk about. I doubted I could've said anything without breaking out into tears again, anyway. "It wouldn't do to dwell on such things, no matter how terrible they are."

Yuriko nodded slightly. "That's right," she whispered. "She would've wanted everyone to move on." That had become a famous phrase lately: _she would've wanted it like this... _"We should... go visit Mushin."

Kagome drew her legs up and hugged them close, laying her chin on her knees. "We should, get going, too," Kagome said in a monotone. She sighed deeply. "Everyone's probably worried about me back home."

"Kaede will want to know what's happened," Inuyasha muttered. A dull silence followed.

"Tomorrow, then," I said at long last. "Tomorrow you shoud all leave, and tomorrow Kirara and I will work on restoring this village. You're all welcome here anytime you wish." I surprised everyone, even myself. My voice was clear and calm, and that was the first time I'd spoken since the funeral. All eyes were suddenly on me for a few minutes, but mine were on the floor.

"We'll come back," Yuriko answered with a definitive tone, glancing at her elder brother. "We'll come here, help you rebuild the village, and live in it with you, if that's alright."

"We'll come and live here, too," Kagome added, smiling. "We'll all help you rebuild the village back to its former glory."

I looked around at everyone. They all cared about my sister and about me. They all were her friends, and they all were mine. They wanted to help in any way they could. A smile, my first smile since her death, alighted my face. "That sounds great."

* * *

The next day, they all left. They left, and it was just me and Kirara in the village. I felt so alone, suddenly, and I had the strangest sense of foreboding. I watched them off cheerfully, of course, giving no mention to this feeling, but it was still there. No matter how I tried to brush it off as nothing, as paranoia, it was still there, and it wouldn't fade. I knew that most of them wouldn't be returning. So, after they left, I broke down and cried, knowing that it was the last time I'd ever see half of them. Kirara tried to comfort me, but I could tell she felt it too. I hoped and I prayed I was wrong, that they'd all come back safely. I made myself believe it.

They'd all come back safely.


	7. The Final Domino

**:Disclaimer:**

**Leiko: **We don't own Inuyasha. Short and to the point.  
**Akana: **I so totally wish we did! That'd be so totally awesome! Wouldn't it be so totally awesome?  
**Leiko: **What's up with you and the phrase "so totally"?  
**Akana: **I so totally don't know... WHEEEEEE SUGAR!

**:End Disclaimer:**

Well, I got another reviewer other than someonewithoutaname (Dante Gemini), but someonewithoutaname seems to have disappeared! Ah well... I'm very sorry for the longer-than-usual wait. I had to build up suspense/I was being sorta busy and lazy. I hope you enjoy this, the final tragic chapter of this tale! But wait -- what's this? There's going to be something else? An epilouge, you say?

**Chapter 7: The Final Domino**

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

The journey back to Kaede's village was short. Or maybe my mind was just too preoccupied to notice? Either way, there were only a few days of silent travel. Even Shippou wasn't being his usual annoying self. 

The people of the village all smiled when they saw us coming, as usual, but their smiles turned to confusion when I didn't scowl in return or when Kagome didn't smile back. Our eyes were cast to the ground as we walked solemnly to Kaede's hut. The old woman came out to greet us, but she knew something was wrong when she saw us trudging along. "What has happened to ye?" she asked in concern, rushing us inside the hut and away from the prying eyes of the other villagers.

I layed Tetsusaiga in its sheath against the wall near the door and sat beside it. Kagome layed her yellow bag beside Tetsusaiga and sat beside me, apparently needing the support of a friend who suffered the same tragedy. "Sango's..." Kagome choked out. She couldn't finish, so I knew I had to.

"Sango's dead."

Kaede's eyes widened. "How did this happen?" she asked. "She is far too strong to perish in any battles with demons!"

Kagome and I glanced at each other, then I began the story, knowing Kagome's voice would crack before she finished. Shippou clung to Kagome's shoulder, sniffling every now and then. It was a hard story to tell, for Sango had been an ally and... a friend; a close friend who'd suffered under the weight of a heavy burden.

The story lasted until mid-afternoon. Everyone was silent once I finished, ending with our decision to reunite at the village of the demon slayers. That was when Kaede voiced a dark realization.

"Kagome, if ye leave here, then without the powers of the Shikon jewel... ye cannot come back."

I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I stared at Kagome, silently cursing my stupidity. How could I have forgotten such a crucial fact? But I realized that even if I had remembered, Kagome still would've brought Kohaku back without hesitation. That's just how she was.

Kagome, it seemed, had also forgotten. "Th-That's right," she said in shock. A hard choice was suddenly upon her, I knew. She could go home and be with her family but never return, or she could stay in the Feudal Era without even getting to say goodbye to them. "Let's go to the well," she said quietly. "I'll... I'll think about it there." She stood up and sat Shippou on the ground. He started to protest, but she just smiled at him. "See ya later," she told him shakily, her voice betraying her unsure emotions.

"You'll come back?" he asked, his voice filled with hope and his eyes edged with tears. "I-If you choose to go, you'll come back and say good bye?"

She looked into his face. "Yeah." I knew she was lying. Everyone knew she was lying when she grabbed her bag.

* * *

All was eerily silent when we got to the well. I didn't like it at all, but I chose not to say anything to Kagome. She already had enough problems to worry about. She stared down into the well's dark depths, and the inner turmoil was apparent on her face. She had a hard descision to make: stay here, stay with Shippou and me, and forget about her family, or go to them, take up her life where she left off, leave us. 

"If you go," I told her, "I can still travel through the well and tell you how the others are doing."

Her eyes lit up. "That's right!" she said excitedly, throwing her arms around me. "Thank you, Inuyasha!"

I blushed a deep red and pushed her off me with a "keh". "So get lost," I growled, crossing my arms. "Go to your era. I'll go in a week or so."

"Can you come tomorrow?" Kagome asked quickly. "Please?" I looked at her and realized that, even though I'd still be able to travel to and from her era, she'd still miss everyone terribly. It seemed like she'd really grown used to this dangerous era of demons and half demons.

I started to respond, but an evil laugh from somewhere above cut me off. I immediately looked up, as did Kagome, and our eyes settled on three floating demons; a hyper fox demon on the left, a bored dog demon on the right, and a smirking cat demon in the middle. The cat demon was the one who'd laughed. I placed a hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, growling. "What do you want?" I shouted up at them. Kagome dropped her bag to the ground so it would be easier for her to get her arrows if she needed them.

The demons descended, touching down lightly in front of us. I got in front of Kagome, blocking her from the three. The demons were all very different. The fox demon had reddish-orange hair, green eyes, and a bushy tail. The dog demon had black hair and red eyes. The cat demon had short brown hair and yellow eyes. All three wore priestess outfits with variations in the pants colors. The cat demon stepped forward and I tensed, tightening my grip on my sword.

"I am Hatsuki," she purred, her eyes dancing with laughter. "My companions are Asaka and Sayoko." She motioned to them as she spoke their names. "We are here to tell you that the well won't work for you, half breed."

The fox demon, Asaka, giggled. "We placed an enchantment upon it that won't let you go through!"

The dog demon, Sayoko, crossed her arms. "There is no way to break the spell, so don't even try."

"I don't believe you!" I growled, pulling Tetsusaiga out and holding it threateningly in front of me. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hack you into bits right now!"

Hatsuki's smirk remained on her face. "I'd rather give you a few reasons why you should," she taunted. "Like, for instance, Kikyou..."

I stiffened. "What _about_ Kikyou," I asked, my voice taking on a dangerously low tone. I could feel Kagome's curious stare on my back, but I didn't care.

"We are the ones who set it up," Hatsuki explained. "You see, we have powers of subtle persuasion. We can invade a person's mind and fill it with doubts, questions, and ideas. If she'd wanted, Kikyou could've walked the earth for any amount of time she desired, but we used our powers to make her choose to leave this world, but not before finding you and giving you the choice to go with her or not."

"Damn you!" I shouted. I ran at her, wanting nothing more than to slice her into little bits and feed them to various demons.

An invisible barrier stopped me, but I was determined to get through. It proved too strong, however, and I was forced backwards. All the while, Hatsuki remained smirking. Asaka was laughing, and Sayoko's face was as expressionless as my half brother's.

"I'm not done yet," Hatsuki said. "There's more, much more." I cursed as I glared at them. Kagome was by my side, glaring at the three as well. "You know of Yuriko, Miroku's sister, of course. Once again, we used our powers of persuasion, making her become jealous of Sango and overprotective of her brother, pushing her to make Miroku choose. If we hadn't intervened, she most likely would've been happy that Miroku had found the person just right for him."

"That's horrible!" Kagome cried out. She grabbed an arrow from the quarrel on her back and notched it in her bow. She pulled the string taunt and aimed it at Hatsuki.

"Hold on, little priestess," she said. "Wait until you've heard the rest of our tale before firing that arrow of yours." Kagome was about to shoot anyway, but I held out my hand to stop her. I had a suspiscion about what the cat demon would say next, and I wanted to see if I was right.

"Once Naraku was dead," she continued, "Kohaku's memories would've returned to him, but we used another of our powers to keep them stored away. We then 'persuaded' Sango to take him in the woods, and we put the notions of taking his shard into her head. Then we let Kohaku remember everything. After that, we let Sango choose for herself if she would let Kohaku live or die, knowing what she'd choose and knowing also that it would be absolute torture for her."

I was clutching Tetsusaiga so hard that my knuckles turned white. "Kagome," I said, my voice taking on a deadly calmness, "shoot your arrow."

She didn't even need to be told. Her arrow glowed a pinkish color with her priestess energy. She let it fly, her eyes burning with the fires of hate. There was only one other person who she'd ever hated so much in the amount of time that I knew her, and that was Naraku.

Asaka giggled in childlike glee. "You really think that arrow can penetrate our barrier?" she asked.

"You really shouldn't underestimate the priestess, Asaka," Sayoko commented.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The arrow met with the barrier, and energy crackled for a minute before the arrow broke through. Hatsuki had been expecting this outcome, however, and she ducked. The arrow flew above her head and landed deep in the wood of the tree behind her. "Impressive, little priestess," Hatsuki taunted. "You're just as angry as the monk was when we told him all this... and killed his dear little sister."

I snarled and charged at Hatsuki, sweeping my sword across horizontally. Everything she'd done was unforgivable. She drew the katana that was hanging unsheathed by her side and parried the blow. "You stand no chance against me," she said coolly.

I leapt away from her, landing back by Kagome's side with my sword still at the ready. "Wind scar!" I shouted, lifted Tetsusaiga above my head and slashing it diagonally across the air. Yellow beams of energy appeared, heading strange for her.

They hit another barrier, one that the demon had just put up. I wasn't discouraged, though. I glanced at Kagome, and she caught on to the idea. She shifted a bit secretly, putting her hand in a better position to reach up and grab an arrow. "Wind scar!" I shouted again, sweeping my sword across the air in front of me.

"Not this attack _again_," Hatsuki said boredly, confident in her barrier.

Kagome, using the light from my attack as a shield from the eyes of our opponents, shot an arrow quickly into the midst of the wind scar. The arrow was faster than my attack, and it reached the demon first. It missed by a hair's breadth, but it served its real purpose: breaking the barrier.

Hatsuki's eyes widened in fear and surprise as she realized our plan. "Sister!" Asaka and Sayoko both shouted at the same time. The two leapt in front of the attack, trying to sheild Hatsuki. There was a bright light, and when it dimmed, the two were nowhere to be seen, their bodies turned to dust by my wind scar. Hatsuki was badly injured, for they hadn't been able to protect her completely.

"Damn you!" she spat at us. I ran at her, ready to finish her off right then and there, but my sword hit air as she faded away. She'd escaped to recover from the wounds.

"She got away," I growled. I turned to Kagome and noticed that she was trembling. "What's wrong?"

"They placed an enchantment on the well," she answered, her voice shaking just as much as she was. "You... You can't go through..."

It dawned on me that she was right. "K-Keh," I said weakly. "I don't believe them." There wasn't much conviction in my voice. I knew, somehow, that they were telling the truth, that I couldn't go through the well no matter how hard I tried.

Kagome collapsed to the ground, next to her bag, dropping her bow. I sheathed Tetsusaiga and walked over to her. Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at the ground. I didn't really know what to do or say.

It was too much for her, all of this. Sango was her best friend, and to find her dead like that... And now, to add to it, she found out from the same demons who caused it all that if she went to her era, I wouldn't be able to visit. It wasn't fair to her. She'd done absolutely nothing to deserve any of this.

Now she faced the hardest decision in her life, and I had three choices.

There was what I wanted to do. I wanted to wrap Kagome in a strong hug and tell her how much she meant to me. I wanted to explain how I chose her over Kikyou. I wanted to ask her, beg her even, to stay with me in the Feudal Era. I wanted to keep her there and never let go, never let her leave my site.

There was what I could've done. I could've told her to go back to her own era, to be with her family. I could've told her that I would love her even if she left. After such a display of self-sacrifice, she would never have the courage to leave me, I knew. She would stay with me, and we could live happily together.

Then... there was what I had to do.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

"I hate you." 

I looked up at him with my tear-stained face in shock. "That's right," he said, sneering. "I hate you. I always have. I just acted all sweet and stuff to get the jewel. I've never _really_ had feelings for you, and I just realized that since the jewel's gone, I don't have to act anymore. I can be my true self." He stood up, laughing down at me. "I can't believe you actually fell for it! Humans are pathetic!"

I stood up as well, trembling. "You... You can't really mean that!" I protested. _This... This can't really be Inuyasha! The demons, they must've done something to him!_

"Heh. Wanna bet?" he asked with a malicious smirk. "In fact, I should kill you right now and leave you here to rot!"

I took a step back just in time to avoid his swiping claws. I was thrown off balance, and I felt myself tumbling over into the well. I wanted to scream, but my voice was caught in my throat. All the way down, I stared into Inuyasha's cold, heartless expression as he tossed my bag down to me.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

I waited until she completely disappeared before softening my glare. I sank to my knees, staring at the ground. It had pained me greatly to be so creul to her, but... I knew it was needed. If she thought I hated her, then leaving this place wouldn't be such a big deal, and she would move on. I had done what was needed. It hurt, but it was the best thing for Kagome. 

"Dammit!" I cursed, pounding the ground as a tear slid down my cheek. Clenching my teeth tightly, I wiped it away with the sleeve of my haori and stood up. I turned away from the well, towards the setting sun, refusing to let myself cry. Kagome was safe, and she would be happy. That was all that mattered.

Besides, I didn't have the time to cry. I had revenge to seek.

* * *

POV CHANGE

* * *

I sat on the ground against the well, staring up through a small crack in the shrine's ceiling to look at the stars that were just coming out. Salty tears mingled with my hair. "Inuyasha..." I whispered. "You... You didn't mean that. I know you didn't. I could see it in your eyes. Inuyasha, you... you're such an idiot!" Sudden rage boiled inside me. "You stupid, dog-eared jerk! You dumb, self-sacrificing..." My voice caught in my throat as a fresh bout of tears came upon me, my anger subsided. I let them come, shutting my eyes lightly. Without thinking, I lifted a small flap on my backpack and took out a very thin item. I held it for a few minutes before opening my eyes and looking at it. 

Everyone was there again. It was just like before. No... it _was_ before, before everything started going wrong, right after Naraku was defeated. Miroku had a sheepish grin on his face along with a fresh red handprint. Sango was glaring at him angrily, arms crossed. Kirara was sitting in her small form by her master, looking up at the two of them and mewing a little. Shippou was the only one out of the four even looking at the camera, giving a huge grin.

_"You're such a pervert, Miroku!"  
_

_"Ah, I simply could not help myself!"_

_"Mew?"_

_"Cheeeeeeeeeeese!"_

Their voices came clearly to me. I then looked to the side of the photo, to Inuyasha. His arms were crossed over his chest and his back was to the rest of the group. His head was turned so that he was scowling at the camera.

_"Dammit, Kagome! Hurry up and get this over with!"_

A tear dripped onto the picture. I held it close to my heart.


	8. Epilouge

**:Disclaimer:**

**Leiko: **We own absolutely no one in this story except the demon trio and the annoyin -- er, adorable kids in this chapter.We don't even own Koji.  
**Akana: **Yeah, because Koji is Koji, and we can't own Koji because he's Koji!  
**Leiko: **You make no sense. Stop talking.  
**Akana: **But talking's sooo much fun! WHEEE!

**:End Disclaimer:  
**

**Note: **I rewrote a part in chapter 4. Nothing major, just changed one of the point of views. I also changed the summary to something I feel fits better. The other one was kind of lame.

An epilouge, written in third person, explaining what happened to the group. Thus ends Dominoes. Please enjoy and review.

**

* * *

Epilouge: Left Behind**

A boy, appearing 17, was sprawled out on a large rock in the middle of a field. He lay basking in the sunlight, his eyes closed. His hair, a distinct reddish color, was tied back in a ponytail. His ears were pointed, marking him as a demon.

A small group of children were hiding in some bushes on the edge of the clearing. "Is that him?" one spoke up in a too-loud whisper.

"Shuddup or he'll hear us!" another hissed.

The boy smirked, knowing they were there even before they'd spoken. His keen senses has let him hear the rustle in the bushes and smell the scent of humans. He growled a little. "Come out you little brats!" he called, sitting up and opening his emerald eyes to glare their way. "I know you're there! No use trying to hide!"

"He caught us!" came a girl's giggling voice. Seven children between ages 5 and 10 sprang out of the bushes at once, all rushing towards the boy on the rock. The two youngest, one a girl and one a boy, both five, immediately climbed onto his lap.

"Tell us a story, Koji!" the little boy whined, and the girl quickly nodded in eager agreement.

"Fine," he conceeded, smiling at them. "Which one should it be?" He directed the question to the others, for these two young ones never had any idea which story they wanted.

"Tell us another one about the guy with the sword!" an 8-year-old boy said in excitement.

"Yuito, no one wants to hear about _him_," the second oldest child, a 9-year-old girl, told him skeptically. "Unless, of course, it's a romance story between him and the priestess with strange clothes!"

Yuto stuck his toungue out in disgust. "Those're stories for girls like you, Shina!" She glared at him, receiving a chuckle from Koji.

A 6-year-old girl, hair as black as a raven and eyes a soft auburn, spoke in a quiet voice. "Why don't you finish your last story?" she asked. Everyone stared at her, for she rarely ever talked, and never had she asked for a story. "You left off with the girl and the half demon both leaving the village. There's more, isn't there?"

He looked into her eyes. That story had brought an assortment of painful memories back to the surface, but he had told it anyway, had forced himself to recount it until it was late and the children had to go home. Looking into this girl's eyes, though, he remembered, and he knew he had to finish it now for them. "Alright, Aiko," he said smiling. "I'll tell the rest."

The children immediately sat on the grass in a semi-circle around him, all attention directed his way. "Miroku took his little sister back to the temple," Koji spoke, "and buried her beside their father's grave. After that, he returned to the village and lived with Kohaku as promised, helping to rebuild the village to its former glory. He never got over the deaths of the two people he cared about most. He often went back and visited his sister's grave, and every day he was at the village he brought more flowers to Sango's. Even now, he still hasn't found a woman to become his wife.

"I visit him and Kohaku in the demon slayer village at least twice a month. The rebuilding has long since been completed, and many people skilled in swordsmanship and magic have come to live there and become demon slayers. There's another thing about the village, though, something no one would've ever suspected, probably. Friendly demons and half demons live there as well, in harmony with the humans. It's a true haven to any in need of one. Sango would be proud of her younger brother, and he knows it. He has yet to find a girl to become head of the village with him, though.

"Months after he and Kagome left, Inuyasha returned to the village. He explained to Kaede what Kagome had 'chosen' and about the demons. He'd finally gotten revenge for everyone, he said, and he had the scar that ran from his elbow to his wrist on his right arm to prove it. After that, he left the village again, and I don't think anyone's seen him since. He's just fine, though, I know, killing any demon who makes the mistake of calling him a half breed." Koji swallowed the lump that had gathered in his throat and continued.

"Kagome... It took a long time, after everything that'd happened, for her to finally find peace once again and move on. She wound up marrying a guy in her own era, and she now lives peacefully with her new family."

"How do you know?" the little girl in his lap asked, looking up at him with innocently round eyes.

He smiled down at her. "I knew Kagome," he explained quietly. "She's a strong girl, strong enough to mourn and move on, like Kohaku did. Even though she moved on, though... she never forgot any of the people she met. Every day for the ten years she's been back over there, she's returned to the well in her own era, remembering her adventures with the group. She's looked at the sacred God tree just as often, remembering the first time she met Inuyasha. Then she's continued her life, as it was before Mistress Centipede entered it."

"What about Shippou?" young Aiko asked quietly.

Koji gave a small laugh, switching his gaze to look at her. "Why do you want to know about him?" he asked. "He's really not worth talking about."

"I wanna know!" a 7-year old boy protested.

"Yeah, me too!" the eldest, a 10-year old girl, agreed.

Koji knew he was out-numbered. "Alright, alright," he said, "even though there really isn't much to say. Shippou was only a child when it all happened, and he had it pretty tough after. He understood that his adopted mother was gone along with Sango. He was overjoyed when Inuyasha returned, and begged to join him on his travels to wherever. Inuyasha just crossed his arms and huffed in feigned annoyance before leaving, and Shippou was more devastated than ever. Somehow, though, he found a way to live on, taking off on his own journey a few years later to search for Inuyasha. He has all but disappeared... Unless you know where to find him."

"Did he find Inuyasha?" Yuito, the one who'd wanted a story about Inuyasha, asked. "Did they have all sorts of cool adventures together?"

Koji shook his head. "No," he answered. "He never found Inuyasha, but he hopes to see him at least once more before his life is over." A strange smell suddenly came to his nose, and he looked up at the sky. "It's about to rain," he warned. "You should go back to the village."

The two youngest slid from Shippou's lap with a deep sigh. Groaning and complaining, the rest got up from the seats and turned to start walking away, shoulders slumping in disappointment. They trudged along, muttering to each other about how they hated the rain. When a few drops touched their arms, their trudging was ended as they started to run frantically for the shelter of their homes. They all knew their parents would be furious if they got too wet.

Koji remained staring at the sky, watching the clouds with a gaze that showed he wasn't really all there. He let the rain fall freely on his face without moving, even as it rained harder and harder.

One child remained behind, standing before Koji, her auburn gaze locked on his face. "You're Shippou," Aiko stated. Her voice was small and hardly heard over the noise of the rain slapping the ground, but there was an undeniable force behind those words. There was force... and there was comfort. Not pity, not sympathy, just... comfort.

His bushy tail twitched. He closed his eyes, letting his tears mingle with the rain. "Yeah," Shippou answered.


End file.
